Tuchel keeps faith with England defence for Czechia test
Thomas Tuchel will keep faith with England's defence in Prague on Tuesday despite six games without a clean sheet.
England face Czechia in their second game in Nations League Group A3, having arrived in Prague needing a response. They opened the campaign with a 3-2 defeat by Spain at Wembley Stadium in London on 26 September, Reuters reported.
That loss stung. Spain arrived as reigning world champions and left with all three points after Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner. The Nations League, UEFA's biennial competition for national teams, gives England little room to breathe. Czechia lost their opener to Croatia, so both sides are chasing their first points.
Tuchel called England "a danger to ourselves" against Spain, The Guardian reported. He said he was pleased with much of the performance. The defeat, in his view, came from individual mistakes rather than a broken system.
Two of Spain's goals followed England losing the ball in dangerous areas. Centre-back Marc Guéhi and left-back Nico O'Reilly were at fault. Tuchel stood by both players. He is not panicking.
He will resist drastic changes for Czechia. That means no defensive overhaul, even with England conceding in every one of their past six matches. A clean sheet, keeping the opposition scoreless for the whole game, has eluded them throughout that run.
There may be one forced switch. O'Reilly and centre-back Ezri Konsa are injury doubts. Lewis Hall is in line to replace O'Reilly at left-back if needed.
James Trafford will continue in goal. The Leeds goalkeeper has been given England's first two Nations League games to show he can compete at that level. Jordan Pickford, England's No 1 since 2018, is expected to return for the trip to Croatia and the home game against Czechia.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was an unused substitute against Spain. He did not go to the World Cup with England and is still waiting for a fresh chance under Tuchel.
After Prague, England are scheduled to play Croatia away before returning to Wembley to face Czechia. The opening run of Spain at home, Czechia home and away, and Croatia away was always going to test this squad.
For fans, this means a familiar watch. England will try to play on the front foot, keep the ball, and cut out the loose passes that punished them at Wembley. Get it right, and the mood around the team lifts quickly. One solid night in Prague can do that.
